This invention relates to exercise apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for performing squat exercises.
In exercise and rehabilitation applications, it is often the case that a person wishes to exercise a certain set of muscles. For a healthy person, this exercise may be one of a series of exercises performed in order to provide overall conditioning to the body. For an injured person, muscle group-specific exercising allows the person to concentrate on rehabilitation of, or reconditioning of, the desired muscle group.
Squat exercises can be an important part of a conditioning or rehabilitation program to strengthen lower extremity musculature. In the past, squat exercises have been performed by a person balancing a weight on his or her shoulders behind the neck, and thereafter squatting while supporting the weight in this manner. This presents numerous drawbacks, most notably if the person has injured his or her back, or does not have sufficient back strength to support enough weight necessary to properly exercise the muscles stressed by squat exercises. Additionally, because squat exercises demand that the exerciser constantly maintain his or her balance during the entire range of motion of the exercise, it is difficult to provide an injury-free range of motion to the exerciser during performance of a squat exercise.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a resistance training device which allows a person to properly perform squat exercises without significant compressive or shear stress to the spine.
In accordance with the invention, a weight suspension apparatus for squat exercises comprises a belt, securing means for firmly securing the belt about the waist of a user, front and rear V-shaped straps connected at their upper ends to the belt, and a system for suspending a weight between the user's legs between the lowermost points of the front and rear straps. The nadir of each of the V-shaped front and rear straps is disposed between the user's legs. In a preferred embodiment, the weight is secured to the front and rear straps by means of a weight connection member spanning between the front and rear straps and connected at the nadir of each. Means is provided for attaching the weight to be lifted to the weight connection member, as is means for accommodating movement of the attaching means to various locations along the length of the weight connection member. The weight connection member may comprise a multi-link chain extending between the front and rear V-shaped straps. The attaching means accomodates attachment of the weight to any one of the links in the chain between the front and rear V-shaped straps, so as to allow varying location of the point of attachment of the weight to the weight connection member. Alternatively, the weight connection member may comprise a strap extending between the front and rear straps at the nadir of each. In this embodiment, the attaching means comprises a connector member moveable along the length of the flexible strap. In this manner, automatic movement of the attaching means along the weight connection member is provided, according to user requirements.
The front and rear straps are preferably connected to the belt so that the upper ends of each are disposed one on either side of the user's body. Preferably, an upper end of the front strap is disposed closely adjacent an upper end of the rear strap on either side of the user's body. On each side of the user's body, the upper ends of the front and rear straps are located closely anteriorly and posteriorly, respectively, of the user's greater trochanter. Preferably, with this arrangement, the legs of the front strap run along the user's inguinal ligaments to a point between the user's legs at approximately the point of intersection of the inguinial ligaments extended. The rear V-shaped strap provides a pair of legs, each of which runs along the lateral aspect of the user's gluteal mass, and at least partially along the user's gluteal fold to a point between the user's legs. With the described arrangement, the user can concentrate on exercising the desired set of muscles without undue concern about maintaining balance and undue stress on the user's back and upper body.